View report page

Working 8 hours on Saturday is as inimical as 30 hours during the week, and working through
the dinner hour appears particularly productive of anaemia.
Further analysis of the returns showed that boys who commenced work under the age of 11
suffered more severely than those commencing later, indeed many had broken down and had either
to give up work or change employment. Analysing the different occupations, news-boys seemed the
healthiest, this is obviously due to selection, and probably for a similar reason barbers' boys the
unhealthiest. Great excess of anaemia in barbers' boys is undoubtedly directly resulting from much
of their work being done in hot and gas-lit rooms.

Retardation in school work was noted in 209 out of these 330 boys, 86 being one standard, 83
two standards, 37 three standards and 3 four standards behind that corresponding to their age.
Girls are also overworked in many cases during school life. In one school, carefully examined
for other matters, Dr. Marion Hunter noted 9 girls between 10 and 13 who averaged 28½ hours' work
weekly out of school for a wage averaging a shilling a week and occasional meals. Want of sleep is most
marked, and carrying considerable weights, even "minding babies," which sounds very harmless, is
to an immature child who has to carry out a heavy baby, often the means of bringing about lateral
curvature and flat-footedness that considerably impairs her future working powers.